2011 Aston Martin Cygnet

It seems like it’s been forever since we found out that Aston Martin was releasing the re-badged version of the Toyota iQ, which they began calling the Cygnet. The wait was longer than what we expected, but finally, Aston martin has lifted the covers off of the Cygnet at the Geneva Motor Show.

According to Aston Martin, the "Cygnet concept represents a creative, environmentally conscious solution, being small, yet with presence – and highly fuel efficient, now combined with the prestige of Aston Martin’s luxury brand ownership."

The Aston Martin Cygnet will be powered by a 1.3 liter engine delivering a total of 97-hp with a top speed of 105 mph.

Like what we said: the Cygnet is, effectively, an iQ for the elite; and by elite, we don’t mean just any other rich person that has money to burn. Limited to only 2000 units, the Cygnet is only available to people who currently have an Aston Martin parked in their garage so even if, say, you’re a millionaire who puts cash on your dining table as a centerpiece, you’re out of luck. Unless you own an Aston Martin, you can’t get your hands on a Cygnet.

UPDATE 09/01/2010:
Aston Martin has just announced that the Cygnet will become available in the USA in 2012, but potential buyers will still have to own an Aston in order to purchase the hatchback.

UPDATE 12/14/2011: Aston Martin has unveiled a new video of the small Cygnet in which they present the exquisite craftsmanship. Enjoy!

Latest Aston-Martin Cygnet news and reviews:

A big part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s charm is that you never know exactly what to expect when it comes to the cars that take a crack at the Hill climb event. In the first day of the event, we’ve already seen a rainbow-colored Porsche 911, a lawnmower (yes, a lawnmower!), and a tiny city car that somehow found enough room in its body for a V-8 engine. That last car is the Aston Martin Cygnet, the cute little urban transporter that was essentially a rebadged version of the Toyota iQ. Even better, this V-8-powered Cygnet isn’t a hack job built by some loony tuner in some corner of England. Aston Martin actually created it, or to be more specific, Q by Aston Martin created it for a customer, and now it’s turning heads at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

While I am writing these words, I am listening to a live stream of enthusiastic commentators commenting on all the amazing cars debuting at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb. Off-road Dakar cars are hitting the track at this point, and they are not that fast on this asphalt. Heck, one rally Peugeot 205 with a V-6 just spun out. Now, the new WRC Fiesta is just showing off by doing donuts in front of the crowds. Amazing. Although the manifestation just started, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has already given us several astonishing cars five of which I am presenting you right now. This is an absolute barrage of cars, sounds, smells, and speed at the Goodwood Estate right now.

To the surprise of the whole car world, Aston Martin revealed a new version of its long-deceased Cygnet at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Billed as “The Ultimate City Car,” the new Aston Martin Cygnet V8 is actually a one-off piece for a customer who commissioned it through the ‘Q by Aston Martin – Commission’ service. With an engine taken from the Vantage S, 19-inch wheels, and a dramatically reimagined drivetrain, the new Cygnet V8 is the most unusual piece of machinery Aston has revealed in a while. This is a 123-inch long car, with a 4.7-liter, V-8 that develops 430 horsepower. It sounds like a joke, but it is not.

The auto industry has had its share of iconic cars. From iconic classics like the Aston Martin DB5 and the Ferrari 250 GTO to timeless beauties like the Mazda MX-5 and Porsche 911, there are no shortages of cars that we can kneel before and proudly say that we did. But for every model like the BMW 3 Series that capture our hearts and imaginations, there are also models like the Pontiac Aztec and the Studebaker Wagonaire that force us to question our lots in life. These cars are the stinkers of the auto industry, and whether you like it or not, we’ve come up with a list of them that we never, under any circumstances, want to see make a comeback.

I know what you’re thinking. Why are we subjecting you to this kind of horror on Thanksgiving week? Well, appreciating the history of the industry will only be magnified if you know its underbelly, the dark and desolate place where the worst models in history reside, never to be seen again. Our hope here is that when you take a gander and look at the cars on this list, you’ll come out of it with a better appreciation of all the success stories that the industry has seen throughout its history. So buckle up, ladies and gentlemen. We’re going to test your tolerance with this list; here’s to hoping you all come out unscathed on the other side.

We would have really loved seeing the faces of everyone after reading the title.
We certainly wouldn’t blame anyone for being as shocked and dumbfounded as we were when we discovered Aston Martin’s intentions with their city car.

Sources say that Aston Martin has completed studies based on the possibility and feasibility of a V12 engine being fitted to the
- wait for it - Cygnet, without extensive modifications. How is it possible? The car is only the size of a shoe with a tiny 1.3 liter 4-cylinder engine that develops 98bhp.
Now imagine putting Aston Martin’s very own 6.0L V12 engine that produces at least 510bhp on a car that weighs 988kg. If our calculations are correct, the power to weight ratio of this car will not only put its bigger brothers to dismal shame, but most of the hypercars that we all enjoy drooling at as well. In layman’s terms, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Aston Martin says it will carry out significant upgrades for the Cygnet to handle the immense weight, horsepower, and torque. What kind of upgrades? How about multiple spoilers all over the car just to keep it planted on the ground.

If the project receives a green light from the board, it will enter a new segment called over-powered city cars that also includes the Nissan Juke-R.

That being said, Aston Martin will go ahead with the project only if there is sufficient customer demand. So, people who want to break records or experience crazy, visit your nearest Aston Martin Showroom and inquire about this project.

Do you think this is an upgrade that the Cygnet deserves or does it have disaster written all over?
Let us know in the comments.

Upscale automakers are turning to personalization programs as their new novelty offering to customers. Now it appears that Aston Martin wants a piece of the action.

The British automaker is jumping into the bandwagon with the introduction of the "Q by Aston Martin" personalization program at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. According to Aston, the program is being started as a way to offer premium service that "goes beyond the standard palette of paint, leather and trim finishes."

Mostly covering exterior and interior styling, the Q by Aston Martin program is offering a grocery list of modifications that allows customers the opportunity to design their Aston Martins according to their preferences.

To give the audience at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show a preview of their program, Aston Martin will use an Aston Martin Virage and an Aston Martin Cygnet to showcase the customizable potential of the Q by Aston Martin program.

The Virage, in particular, will be finished in a bespoke Mariana Blue satin paint finish to go with an interior that comes giddy with blue carbon fiber, saddle leather floor mats, yellow detailing, a header-mounted track-day HD video camera, a luggage rack, and a forged, diamond turned wheel.

Similarly, the Cygnet will come dressed with its own unique styling, highlighted by a Cherry Tree raspberry paint with a Kestrel Tan interior. The little hatch will also have a specially developed photographic leather headlining, a tailor-made color-matched three piece luggage set, brogue leather detailing on the seats, and, of course, the token color-matched Brompton bicycle.

Adam Carolla may be in the hot seat for some "decorated" commentary during the Adam Carolla Show podcast, but The Car Show can still forge ahead, hopefully without a loss of viewers.
This week’s episode finds the hosts testing the Mercedes SLS AMG against the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Dan Neil strolling through the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and an interview with the outstanding Jason Castriota.

Usually a nice segway into the other, more important segments of the show, this week’s mini segments were a bit on the disappointing side.
There was a "prank" type video showing us the World’s Worse Valet which had its funny moments, but fell short of what we expected.
Then there was the biggest waste of time to date, the Great Car Knack.
This mini segment has Adam dressed to the hilt in a cheap fortune teller costume while telling the people in the audience their future.
It sounds ridiculous and, well, it was.

The automotive and fashion world collide quite a bit to make some of the coolest, albeit expensive, vehicles for the uber elite.
The latest collaboration between the two is Aston Martin’s "Cygnet & colette" model built in conjunction with Parisian fashion authority, colette.
The special edition will only be built in a limited run of 14units, each hand-crafted via the company’s ultimate personalization service.
The price?
A staggering €48,995 ($69,325 at the current rates) compared to the £30,995 ($43,856 at the current rates) of the standard Cygnet.
Something tells us the extremely limited number was a good idea.

The Cygnet and collette will be painted in a Lightning Silver paint with exclusive colette blue styling details, including a race collection inspired front bumper and bonnet livery, mirror caps, and diamond turned road wheels. The silver of the exterior is being combined with a Bitter Chocolate themed for the interior.

Next to these special colors, the limited edition Cygnet will also get an onslaught of features, including stainless steel hand formed and engraved door handle badges and "Cygnet & colette" branded hand enameled boot badging manufactured by Thomas Fattorini.
The city car will also receive quilted Alcantara sun visors to complement the quilted leather door and seat inserts and hand trimmed, quilted colette blue leather occasional cushions for the rear seats.
Other notable features include "Cygnet & colette" branding on satellite navigation start up and a unique "Cygnet & colette" key ring machined from solid aluminum with blue enameling.

We are sure that until now you already know how difficult is to get an Aston Martin Cygnet. In fact it is impossible unless you already own another Aston Martin model, something like Rapide or One-77. But if you are one of the lucky owners of a Rapide, you can start getting your Cygnet. And the first customers will be able to choose from a special Launch edition, offered in either white or black.

The two editions will be offered with either standard manual or optional CVT automated transmission and each will be produced for a strictly limited time. For the interior they will get a choice of unique materials and colors. Also both of them will be offered with a bespoke Bill Amberg five-piece luggage set that includes glove box bag, removable door pocket bag, holdall, garment bag and a collapsible tote bag.

Hit the jump to read more about the Aston Martin Cygnet Launch Editions.

A while ago it was rumored that the Aston Martin One-77 supercar was sold out. Not true. However, the supercar is selling better than expected. After less than a year since its official launch, Aston Martin has sold 60 One-77 units, despite its incredible $1.87 million plus tax price. That just leaves 17 units unaccounted for at this time, so if you were a good boy this year, start your praying and maybe Santa will deliver one for you for Christmas.

If you do decide to mortgage out your house and purchase a One-77, then you should know that for all its One-77 customers, Aston Martin is offering the possibility to choose an Aston Martin Cygnet city car to match. According to Aston, most of the clients have already said yes to the little Cygnet because they say it is the ideal car for hanging off the rear of a yacht and can be used as an everyday car.
So, basically, in order to buy and appreciate a Cygnet you must have a yacht and a One-77.
This little car is getting kind of expensive, huh?

Now that Aston Martin has finally given the green light on the production of the car, the company is now in full promotional swing for the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet.

In this video featuring company boss Dr. Ulrich Bez and design chief Marek Reichman, the two describe the rationale behind the production of the Cygnet, one of which, as Dr. Bez describes it, is giving customers the option for a more practical city car to drive around cities while not compromising on the luxury that the company is famously known for.

Meanwhile, Reichmann tells us with a straight face that the Cygnet will give customers the same experience as they would in driving any of other Aston Martin’s sports car. While we seriously doubt that, we couldn’t help but notice how the two stayed away from telling everyone that only Aston Martin customers can purchase a Cygnet, leaving everyone else to “settle” for its almost identical, yet less luxurious counterpart, the iQ.

For such a small car, the Aston Martin Cygnet sure is dragging itself out.
The small city car has already been set for production and has already confirmed its trip over to our side of the pond, but Aston Martin felt it necessary to confirm that the smallest model ever built by Aston Martin will go into production in 2011 at the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire.

"Whatever we do, we do right. If we do performance, we do performance; we don’t downsize or compromise our sports cars. The Cygnet needs to satisfy the demands of emissions and space. It is a car without compromise, just like every other Aston Martin.

"Our customers need a small car for urban and city use, and they want the right tools for the right job, to downsize creatively without compromising intelligence, artistry and personality."

The Aston Martin Cygnet will be powered by a 1.3 liter engine delivering a total of 97-hp with a top speed of 105 mph.
An electric-only version with a 60-mile range will arrive in 2013.

In case you are in the mood to purchase the rebadged Toyota iQ, the Cygnet will be priced at $35,000 in the U.S., but remember, you’ll only get to buy one if you already own an Aston Martin.
Those are the rules, but if you don’t have the luxury of owning an Aston then you can always move on to plan B:
buy theToyota.

When Aston Martin first unveiled the Cygnet they announced that it would only be offered in Europe, and only to those customers who already owned an Aston Martin model.
Oh, how things change, as Aston Martin has now stated that the Cygnet will be making its way over to the US in 2012.

What we don’t get is why Aston Martin would put a more expensive, rebadged Toyota iQ in the States.
Sure, cars like this would make sense in highly congested cities or for people who like to throw some extra money away for a badge that says Aston, but, overall, wouldn’t people just buy the cheaper iQ?

When the Cygnet is offered in 2012, it will come with a 1.3-liter gasoline engine.
An electric-only version with a 60-mile range will arrive in 2013. In the USA, the mini car will be priced at a steep $35,000. Of course, this price is nothing compared to the $200K for the newly launched Rapide sedan, but the rule still stands, only current Aston Martin owners can purchase the Cygnet.
All the rest of us will just have to stick with the iQ if we want a vehicle like this, which is just fine by us.

For all intents and purposes, the Aston Martin Cygnet and the Toyota iQ are mirror images of one another and if you’re looking for any styling differences apart from the different badges on the car, chances are, you’re going to have a hard time finding any.

For the life of us, we don’t know why Aston Martin even contemplated on re-badging an iQ to become a Cygnet. It’s not a knock on Toyota by any means; it’s just that Aston could have just made something themselves. They are, after all, a car maker, yes?

In any case, Aston Martin is driving up its marketing for the Cygnet by launching a wallpaper generator on the company’s official website. In the website, users can put on their artistic hats and mix-and-match the Cygnet with a wide choice of colors – there are costumes, would you believe – and download their finished creation on their computers or cell phones.

Given that the Cygnet is only available to previous and present Aston Martin owners, most of us will have to settle for this configurator if we have any plans of buying one. Unless there’s an Aston in your garage, you’re out of luck with trying to get your hands on a Cygnet.

It seems like it’s been forever since we found out that Aston Martin was releasing the re-badged version of the Toyota iQ, which they began calling the Cygnet. The wait was longer than what we expected, but finally, Aston martin has lifted the covers off of the Cygnet at the Geneva Motor Show.

According to Aston Martin, the "Cygnet concept represents a creative, environmentally conscious solution, being small, yet with presence – and highly fuel efficient, now combined with the prestige of Aston Martin’s luxury brand ownership."

The Aston Martin Cygnet will be powered by a 1.3 liter engine delivering a total of 97-hp with a top speed of 105 mph.

Like what we said: the Cygnet is, effectively, an iQ for the elite; and by elite, we don’t mean just any other rich person that has money to burn. Limited to only 2000 units, the Cygnet is only available to people who currently have an Aston Martin parked in their garage so even if, say, you’re a millionaire who puts cash on your dining table as a centerpiece, you’re out of luck. Unless you own an Aston Martin, you can’t get your hands on a Cygnet.

UPDATE 09/01/2010:
Aston Martin has just announced that the Cygnet will become available in the USA in 2012, but potential buyers will still have to own an Aston in order to purchase the hatchback.

UPDATE 12/14/2011: Aston Martin has unveiled a new video of the small Cygnet in which they present the exquisite craftsmanship. Enjoy!

If you’re one of those people that have been waiting for the Aston Martin Cygnet to hit local dealerships, then you probably haven’t heard the news surrounding the Cygnet and how the car won’t be making its way to the US anytime soon.

Despite this disappointing news, we’re still suckers for some pretty cool viral marketing and this video featuring a couple of guys partaking on a nice round of Parkour – a French freestyle urban sport – at an Aston Martin facility is just the kind of video that gets us all geeked up for the Cygnet.

Unfortunately for us in the US, this is as close as we can probably get to a Cygnet, which is unfortunate because the car looks to be one of those hatchbacks you’d be proud to be driving out on the streets.

For those of you planning on buying a new Aston Martin Cygnet compact we might have some very bad news for you.
Only existing Aston Martin owners will have the opportunity to purchase their own super city car.
The coach built Toyota iQ will retail for around $35,000 and production will be kept to 2000 units.
More bad news, Aston has no plans of selling it in the U.S. market, proving once again that the American market is not ready to see the value of a premium compact.

The Cygnet is essentially a Toyota iQ with custom bodywork as well as a complete interior transformation.
The Cygnet is powered by a 97 HP 1.3 Liter engine mated to a continuously variable transmission that will scoot the smallest Aston ever to a 105 MPH top speed.
According to Aston Martin, the "Cygnet concept represents a creative, environmentally conscious solution, being small, yet with presence – and highly fuel efficient, now combined with the prestige of Aston Martin’s luxury brand ownership."
That is along with their usual limited production exclusivity, but for less than a Jaeger-LeCoultre, we couldn’t se why any Aston owner wouldn’t want to pick one of these up as well.